This custom modified 1977 Honda Gold Wing flaunts its Samurai inspiration

Posted on 22/11/2019 by Sarang Sheth

Perhaps some of the best motorbike customizers, and my personal favorites, Death Machines of London are back with an absolute stunner… a completely customized 1977 Honda Gold Wing heavily inspired by samurai warriors and their gear. Nicknamed the ‘Kenzo’, after Kenzo Tada, who in 1930 became the first Asian rider ever to compete at the Isle of Man TT, the custom motorcycle “is the result of traditional craft combined with state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, and plenty of headaches. And cuts. And burns. And serious reconsiderations of life choices”, say the folks at DMOL. I’d probably guess the end result, as remarkable as it is, was worth all that fuss.

Kenzo’s remarkable body celebrates overlapping segments found in ancient samurai armor. The original design was made in CAD, and was finally prototyped after hours of working with hand-paneled aluminum, then ditching it for composites, created with the high-precision 3D prints and CNC parts. Under the final segment rests an insert grille made through 3D printing. The Kenzo’s absolutely exquisite lighting resorted to more futuristic means to represent the razor-edge of samurai weaponry. Working with Luminit of California, DMOL incorporated the world’s most advanced holographic diffusion film into the units. Light from the underlying LED’s is precisely disbursed at 80 degrees across the surface of the film, removing hot spots and creating a seamless bar of light that’s absolutely menacing to look at. DMOL’s inspiration finds its home in the handlebars too, with grips inspired by the traditional Tsukamaki sword-wrapping technique, and a seat that features a patterned embossed leather clad that resembles the leather that the samurais wore under their metal suits. Perhaps my favorite detail is best left for the end… the Kenzo’s precious speedometer. The ornate ivory-esque speedometer features a hand-crafted dynamic diorama of sorts, complete with a dragon, cast from an 18th-century Japanese jewel box. Sitting atop it is the speed-hand, cast in the same material. Turn the bike on and the speedometer livens up magically with a rim-light, bringing all the intricate details of the dial to life. I honestly don’t know how I’d be able to tear my eyes away from its sheer beauty to focus on the road,but truth be told, I could say that about practically every design detail on the Kenzo. Remarkable job, DMOL. You’ve completely wowed me yet again!

Designer: Death Machines of London

Memorable bike for a memorable man

Posted on 19/01/2018 by Jack O'Farrell

Death Machines of London (DMOL) are easily my favorite Motorcycle resurrectors there is at this moment in time. After seeing the ‘Up Yours Copper,’ (a resurrected 2007 Triumph Thruxton 900) it’s easy to understand why they’re the leading artists in their craft of cool. As if the UYC wasn’t already a strong enough reason to agree with me, then why not check out their latest release – the Moto Guzzi ‘Airforce.’

Designed and built in memory of Giovanni Ravelli, the Moto Guzzi ‘Airforce’ is somewhat a thing of admiration, maybe never to be driven (if you could stop yourself) but who are we kidding, this bike is magnificent. Taken from the crew at DMOL “They say convenient is the enemy of right. Mr. Giovanni Ravelli, a co-founder of Moto Guzzi, was not a man to take the convenient path. WW1 fighter pilot, aviator and motorcycle racer, he was so fast he became known as ‘The Italian Devil.’ we hope he would have appreciated the fact that our Moto Guzzi ‘Airforce,’ built in his memory and released on his birthday, was the most inconvenient thing we’ve ever made.”

The donor motorcycle of the ‘Airforce’ is a 1982 Moto Guzzi LeMans MK2, and my goodness me if you know what that looks like, you’re equally as shocked at how it looks now. Coated in a custom ‘Airforce Grey’ specifically for this project and further coated in incredible detail, the ‘Airforce’ is precision detailing at it’s finest. Almost showing off how great they are, DMOL has outdone themselves with the attention here. From the inverted knurled handlebars and the rear aviation-inspired suspension to the handspun aluminum wheel disks, this bike is so much more than just a bike. How about the fact this thing looks like it might take off? DMOL have once again proved that one man’s trash is another man’s work of art once DMOL is finished with it – and this is certainly to be admired.

Designer: Death Machines of London

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Resurrected from the dead

Posted on 05/01/2018 by Jack O'Farrell

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It’s very often we see resurrection stories outside of The Evil Dead or various other TV programs, but this deadly manifestation by Death Machines of London (DMOL) is undoubtedly a notable mention. Aptly named ‘Up Yours Copper,’ this gorgeous design is a build upon a recovered 2007 Triumph Thruxton 900.

Intricately found along the bike are details that demand the love and affection that went into putting them there in the first place. There are only so many words that can be used to describe this animal, so I won’t even try – what I will do is point out its outstanding features. Up Yours Copper has an elegantly simple etched brass speed gauge which sits toward the nose of the bike – while the rest of the body compliments this material with a cloak of brushed and powder coated aluminum, not to mention the hand-carved American Walnut wooden seat constructed out of seventeen parts.

The bike greets you with hand-bent sweeping handlebars, knurled to perfection. Be sure to look a lot closer to prevent missing the details that truly accentuate this reborn rebel. With gorgeous detailing going into the brass grills and custom exhausts, this bike has been through a remarkable rebuild, and the guys at DMOL expressed this clearly when saying “Up Yours Copper wasn’t easy to build. Newly finished tanks got dropped, drill bits snapped, lathes broke, blood got spilled and always just when we really could’ve done without it. But no pain no gain right?” No pain, no gain indeed guys, great job.

Designer: Death Machines of London

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